Nigeria’s Flamingos have clinched their first-ever FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup title after defeating Japan 2-1 in Saturday’s final.
The victory makes Nigeria the first African country to win the competition, marking a historic achievement for the country’s women’s youth football.
Awawu Bashiru opened the scoring for Nigeria in the 39th minute after receiving a pass from Mary Dunstan. Her effort slipped through the hands of Japan goalkeeper Kou Kadowaki and into the net to give the Flamingos a first-half advantage.
Nigeria doubled their lead shortly after the restart, with Oluebube Umejiaku finding the net in the 47th minute.
Umejiaku latched onto a long pass from Esther Stephen, controlled the ball with her left foot and lifted it over the advancing Japanese goalkeeper to make it 2-0.
Japan, however, pulled one goal back in the 80th minute through Fuki Ito, who converted a pass from Anri Ito to set up a tense finish.
The Japanese side pushed for an equaliser in the closing stages, but Nigeria maintained their defensive discipline to preserve their lead until the final whistle.
Despite late attempts from both sides, the Flamingos held on to secure the historic triumph after five minutes of added time.
Nigeria’s victory completed an impressive turnaround after the team began its campaign with a 2-1 defeat to Poland.
The Flamingos bounced back with a 2-0 win over Puerto Rico before defeating defending champions North Korea 3-1, ending their 18-match unbeaten run in regulation time at the tournament.
They subsequently overcame Mexico 2-1 in the round of 16, with Umejiaku and Dunstan getting on the scoresheet.
Azeezat Oduntan then converted a late penalty in the 89th minute to give Nigeria a 1-0 quarter-final victory over Venezuela.
The Nigerian youngsters secured their first-ever final appearance with a 3-1 win over Brazil in the semi-finals. Queen Joseph opened the scoring in the 56th minute before Bashiru struck twice in the 71st and 80th minutes.
Brazil managed a late consolation goal, but Nigeria held on to book their place in the final.
The team’s resurgence followed renewed confidence and psychological guidance from head coach Akeem Busari after their opening defeat.
Before the tournament, the Flamingos had also won the 2026 WAFU-B U-17 Girls Cup in Côte d’Ivoire, recording five victories in five matches, scoring 17 goals and conceding just once.
Their victory over Japan now adds a historic global title to their achievements and establishes Nigeria as the first African nation to lift the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
